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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29393883">Regulus Arcturus Black: The Second Son of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Melancholy_Pug/pseuds/Melancholy_Pug'>Melancholy_Pug</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>...eventually, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, And I am Giving it to Him, Artist Regulus Black, BAMF Lily Evans Potter, Bad Sibling Sirius Black, Because it Isn't as Simple as Good &amp; Evil, Dark Mark (Harry Potter), First War with Voldemort, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, James Potter Being an Asshole, Marauders Bashing (Harry Potter), Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Morally Ambiguous Character, Orion Black's A+ Parenting, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Prejudice Against Slytherins, Regulus Black &amp; Lily Evans Potter Friendship, Regulus Black Deserves Better, Regulus Black-centric, Regulus Got the Mark at 15, Seer Regulus Black, Sirius Black Being an Asshole, Smart Regulus Black, The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, They get better, Walburga Black's A+ Parenting, Young Death Eaters, but they need to be knocked down a notch, canon? what's that?, for example:, tags will be added as the story continues</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 08:49:03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,729</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29393883</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Melancholy_Pug/pseuds/Melancholy_Pug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>It is an odd thing to know how one is destined to die. It changes how you see your life. If you die young, then there is no need to worry about what career you will have after graduation. If you die later in life, then you can at least live a partially normal life. Perhaps you will fight against what fate has decided for you, or maybe you will welcome fate's design with open arms.</p><p>Regulus Black has known how he was going to die since he was a young boy, barely five years of age. He will die in a lake, staring up at the jagged cave ceiling as the pale arms of the dead drag him down into the murky depths.</p><p>In one world, Regulus Black walks to his death with his head held high, knowing his sacrifice will contribute to the downfall of a madman.</p><p>In another, he disowns his family along with his brother and joins the fight against the self-proclaimed Dark Lord.</p><p>This story tells the tale of neither of those Regulus'. Follow the Story of Regulus Arcturus Black, the Second Son of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, as he navigates a world determined to take him to his death or make him forget everything he has ever known. The blood in his veins is Black and he shall bow to no master. Not even Fate.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Marauders &amp; Lily Evans Potter, Regulus Black &amp; Bartemius Crouch Jr., Regulus Black &amp; Bellatrix Black Lestrange, Regulus Black &amp; Black Family, Regulus Black &amp; Death Eater Characters, Regulus Black &amp; Evan Rosier, Regulus Black &amp; James Potter, Regulus Black &amp; Lily Evans Potter, Regulus Black &amp; Narcissa Black Malfoy, Regulus Black &amp; Rabastan Lestrange, Regulus Black &amp; Sirius Black, Regulus Black &amp; Walburga Black, Sirius Black &amp; Remus Lupin &amp; Peter Pettigrew &amp; James Potter</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>62</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Regulus Arcturus Black: The Second Son of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">


        <li>
            Inspired by

            <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28711803">Carpe Noctem</a> by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/evacouto/pseuds/evacouto">evacouto</a>.
        </li>

    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>A cave infested with dark magic. A black lake, hiding horrors unimaginable to most within its depths. A basin filled with fear and death that does not kill. A handful of water welcoming the arms of the dead. A cave roof falling further and further away as the dead welcome him into their domain.</em>
</p><p>Those were the images that have plagued Regulus Black since he was five. In rare instances, Regulus would see fire or the popping sound of apparition would fill his ears and he would be granted images of his brother-but-older or the familiar halls of 12 Grimmauld Place. Those images were rarer. It was much more common for the images to end with inky water surrounding him and pale-white limbs holding him close.</p><p>Regulus hadn't realised he was a seer at first. He didn't want to go to his mother or father when he had what he thought was the same nightmare every night for two weeks. They would only tell him that it was disgraceful of a Blac to be so scared of a couple of nightmares. At least, that was the best-case scenario. He hadn't gone to Sirius either, afraid that his big brother would only make fun of him. So, Regulus stayed quiet, only little old Kreacher knowing of his shame when he heard his 'Young Master Regulus' crying in his room at night.</p><p>It wasn't until he was nine years old, having been plagued by those same terrible images every night for the past four years, that Regulus figured out that he was a seer.</p><p>The House of Black was old, one of the oldest in Britain. As such, they had Old Magic running through their veins, however diluted it had become over the centuries. Their ancestors had been most known for their proficiency at necromancy. Grandfather Arcturus even had the skill; his marriage to grandmother Melania, a Macmillan by birth and as such the only living Black with an alignment with Light Magic, had stopped his 'gift' from being passed down. Obviously, though, a tiny bit of Light Magic wasn't enough to stop centuries of Black Magic from continuing on in the family line. Case in point: Regulus. His Sight, Regulus had figured out, was a byproduct of Arcturus' Black Magic being diluted by his wife.</p><p>His Sight wasn't the only thing Regulus had inherited from his grandfather though.</p><p>Regulus, unlike Sirius, was particularly adept at Dark Magic. It was the one area Regulus could truly claim that he was better than his brother and he latched on to it with a fervour. Regulus would hunt down any books on the darker side of magic that he could find, no difficult task given his family's history.</p><p>Walburga and Orion would look on him with pride, that rarest of emotions that seemed to only ever be directed towards Sirius despite his rebellious nature. Bellatrix even entertained Regulus' persistent questions whenever the family came together, happy to finally have another Black actually interested in the magic that made up so much of their history. Narcissa was just happy that Regulus had finally found something that truly made him happy. Arcturus even granted him permission to peruse the few books that he had on necromancy when Regulus said that he was curious about the subject.</p><p>The only person who didn't seem happy with Regulus' interest in the Dark Arts was Sirius. Sirius, who always got uneasy whenever he found Regulus reading those dark books with a smile on his face. Sirius, who was always pulling Regulus away from the one thing that got their parents' attention. Sirius, who thought he knew what was best for his brother despite only being a year and a quarter older.</p><p>And it only got worse.</p><p>When Sirius got his Hogwarts letter it had been the happiest Regulus had ever seen him. Walburga and Orion had even <em>smiled</em> at their eldest son and how he bounced around Grimmauld Place like an excitable puppy. Time seemed to fly and in what seemed like nothing at all Sirius had everything he needed and was boarding the train to head off to Hogwarts to represent the family.</p><p>But, of course, Sirius just had to stick out. Even though he was from the greatest of Britain's Pureblood Families, even though he was practically magical royalty, Sirius just couldn't be satisfied.</p><p>Sirius, who had always been <em>different,</em> had finally gone a step too far for their parents and had gotten sorted into Gryffindor.</p><p>That year had been horrible. Walburga screamed and raged and screamed some more any opportunity she got. She would rant and rave about how Sirius had always been a disappointment as if she hadn't spoiled Sirius any chance she got as he grew up. Orion, on the other hand, was quiet on the subject but Regulus knew he was just as enraged as Walburga considering he now took any chance to put Regulus 'back in his place'. Those were the worst beatings of Regulus' ten years of life.</p><p>Sirius had refused to come back to Grimmauld Place for the holidays, which had only enraged their parents further. Obviously, they took it out on Regulus. To 'make sure you know what happens traitors Regulus, we can't have you following in your blood traitor brother's footsteps' they told him.</p><p>When Sirius finally came back to Grimmauld Place for the Summer holidays, no longer able to hide behind Hogwarts' walls, Regulus dreaded the punishment Sirius would suffer. At the same time though, Regulus was almost thankful that his parents could finally direct their anger at a different target.</p><p>Regulus had expected his brother to come through the doors of Grimmauld Place with his head bowed. He had expected Sirius to beg for forgiveness, explain that he was just scared of what his parents would think of him being sorted into the wrong house.</p><p>He should have known better.</p><p>Sirius strutted through the front door of Grimmauld Place with his head held high. He wore his red and gold robes proudly as he smirked in the face of their mother's outrage. Regulus almost warned him not to anger their parents too much, that he shouldn't antagonize them and that even if he was the heir it wouldn't protect him from their fury this time. Regulus didn't, figuring perhaps Sirius would finally learn the same lesson Regulus had learned when he was younger and would just stop causing trouble.</p><p>That, of course, did not happen. Sirius could never just pick the path of least resistance.</p><p>Sirius would antagonize Walburga and Orion any chance he got. He even changed the green and silver theme of his room to red and gold, earning himself a rather nasty beating. That, though, was just the beginning of a five-year-long battle between Sirius and his and Regulus' parents.</p><p>Sirius was also obsessed with his new friends. He would go on and on and on about him and his band of 'Marauders'. Regulus was frankly annoyed. He didn't want to waste away the summer before he joined his brother at Hogwarts listening to the older boy blather on about his school friends. Sirius had all school year to spend time with his friends. Couldn't he spare one summer to spend time with his little brother?</p><p>But no, it seemed the only time Sirius deemed to spend time with Regulus was when he was on his crusade to save Regulus from the 'evil, Slytherin-cursed, hell books filled with dark things' or, more simply, the Dark Arts books. It was annoying. How come Sirius was insistent on not spending time with him but he wouldn't even allow Regulus to do one of the few things that he actually enjoyed doing? Apparently, now that he was a Gryffindor, Sirius thought he was even more knowledgeable about what was 'good' or 'bad' for his Regulus. As an effort to get his brother to leave him alone Regulus had taken up spending more time on the piano each day, filling the halls of Grimmauld Place with music, or up in one of the spare rooms painting.</p><p>Thankfully, that summer finally ended and Regulus would finally be going off to Hogwarts. On the train, Sirius had dragged him along to meet the infamous 'Marauders'. Regulus was polite enough given that he had never met any of them before but he got the distinct impression that none of them was particularly impressed by him. Potter, Sirius' proclaimed best friend, seemed the most disappointed. Regulus didn't completely understand what he had done until he caught the Lupin boy surreptitiously glancing between him and his brother with furrowed brows. Regulus swallowed his rage and kept a neutral expression on his face as the realisation that they were expecting him to just be a smaller version of Sirius hit him.</p><p>When they arrived at the train station Regulus got out of that apartment and those horrid boys as quickly as was socially acceptable without appearing rude. He joined the other first years and gravitated towards the other purebloods of high standing.</p><p>The Great Hall was just as amazing as Regulus expected. A sea of red, yellow, blue, and green passed by him as he made his way up the line and got ever closer to the Sorting Hat. He could hear people whispering his name, no doubt wondering if he would be sorted like his brother or whether he would uphold the name of his family.</p><p>Finally, it came time for Regulus' turn. The entire hall was silent, more so than they had been for any of the other kids. A minute passed and just as a certain black-haired and grey-eyed boy and his friends were getting excited the hat bellowed, loud and clear in the quiet hall, "Slytherin!"</p><p>A second ticked before the hall burst with energy. The Slytherin table cheered more loudly than they had in any year previously. Even Narcissa Black was cheering loud and clear for her littlest cousin.</p><p>The Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs clapped politely, those with friends in Slytherin clapping and shouting for the newest little snake.</p><p>The Gryffindors though were more subdued, clapping unenthusiastically for Regulus whilst other Gryffindors, including a certain glasses-wearing second year, booed loudly for the newest Slytherin. One Gryffindor though, grey eyes locked on the back of the newest Slytherin's head was silent as he stared at his younger brother in betrayal.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Ok, so this is pretty short and probably not the best (I'll probably, maybe come back and rewrite it at some point maybe) but I kinda just wanted to establish some basics for the fic. Certain characters attitudes, basic story-build, that kinda stuff. This story is not gonna paint Sirius, or James, in a positive light for the first handful of chapters as should be pretty obvious given the ending of this chapter so I don't want to see anyone in the comments complaining. You read the tags. You know what you signed up for.<br/>I've always had a bit of a problem with the characterisation of Regulus in fics that are centred around him joining the good guys. I mean, he joined the Death Eaters for a reason, guys. So again, if you're looking for a cinnamon roll Regulus fic this isn't for you either.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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